Vista Avenue Median Public Art Proposals

I really love the colors and beauty of Stephanie’s proposal but I would vote for Matt’s because it is bold and big and makes a statement. Thank you.

My preference is Canals to Communities.

Thank you for allowing this feedback. I’ll start with my favorite which was the Aqua Vitae (Shadow Projection). It reminded me of stained glass. I live in the neighborhood and so this would be such a pretty sight each day as I go to work. My second choice would be the Hummingbirds on Benches. Unfortunately, I’m definitely not a fan of the Onward Plows. They just look harsh to me. That’s my feedback. I’m excited to learn what the final decision will be!

I vote for Aqua Vitae!

I like Stephanie’s hummingbirds, but the moths are too abstract. Susan’s design is attractive, but it feels too small for the space. Matt’s plows are too, too. . . random?, big?, awkward? That leave Ken’s Aqua Vitae. The dimensions and colors are good. And as much I like grass, the water and labor savings are valuable points to consider. I vote for Aqua Vitae.

I like Ken McCall’s because it connects to the water in the canals, connection of replacing grass with gravel, saving water, and the movement goes along with the traffic on Vista. Artist is using acrylic and wonder if metal would be better in case of accidents or is it cheaper to replace acrylic.
So glad art is going to be installed and excited to see what will be chosen. Please consider art pieces for the Central Bench area too.

I like the Day & Night idea the best although I am not sure about placing benches in the middle median of the road. My second vote would be for the Aqua Vitae. I like the thrid option too but doesn’t seem to stand out that much and the fourth option stands out WAY too much and is not pleasing to the eye at all. All in all I think adding art to these medians is a beautiful thing and also is in line with all of the other art we have throughout the city!

I like them all – very cool ideas. I think the FLOW concept is the best as it doesn’t block vision through the medians. I could see it getting discolored with irrigation water hitting it on a regular basis.

Love number two, Aqua Vitae. The design is clean and works with the space. I also love the ecological conservation component of it. I think this design honors the Vista Bench’s roots, while showcasing the future.

Stephanie Inman gets my vote

#1 Day and Night by Stephanie Inman would be my choice. The design is pleasing and colorful and not distracting for traffic. No one would have to say “What is THAT?” as it is a pleasing work of art which would be easily identifiable. The other 3 entries all immediately gave me the first impression of potentially being dangerous in the case of a fender bender accident, not to mention being distracting for drivers. The latter 3 designs would, I believe, be better reserved for a park or other area where vehicles were not driving so close to the sculptures.

I narrowed it down to proposal #1 & #2. I really liked the concept of the one with the moth and hummingbird and think it will look amazing. I also liked the functionality of a bench, but have a concern about a bench in the median as that may be unsafe if someone crosses the busy streets to enjoy the artwork or actually sit on them. Is there any other green space like a mini park that this design could be located in?
#2 was also a favorite and more conservation oriented with turning the green space into gravel to simulate water and preserve the sculpture. I think it would also show well from a vehicle.
#3 proposal was too thin and so would be difficult to see which made it tough to tell it represented water.
#4 proposal was my least favorite. I thought it was too big and maybe a bit outdated for connecting us to the future.

My first choice would be #1, Stephanie Inman’s Day & Night. I like her concept of drawing attention to native pollinators and plants. The only thing that concerns me is the scale of the day Bench & Hummingbirds. At 13′ high, it seems way too large for such a confined area as a median strip. If the smaller piece were 2.5-3′ high and the large piece no higher than 6′ feet, I think this option would be perfect.
Second choice would be #3, Madacsi Studio’s Flow.
I hate #4. It is WAY TOO BIG and blocky. I fear it would interfere with traffic sight lines and it looks like post WWII Soviet public art.
All the proposals seem very large. Perhaps this was due to the proposal given to the artists and perhaps there is a reason for their gargantuan size that eludes me. I don’t like in–your-face art. I think it needs to be a little more subtle and scaled to the size of the medians and the height of the cars/cyclists/pedestrians that are traveling the roadway.

Overall:
• There is a missed opportunity not to think about this location not just as a gateway to the Vista neighborhood or the City of Boise, but as a gateway to the state. There are many first-time visitors who fly into the airport, and Vista is their first impression of the state.
• It is also a missed opportunity not to think about a gateway that would slow travelers down on the street as they approach the location, so that they could better appreciate the gateway and the gateway could contribute to slowing the traffic.
• It is also a missed opportunity not to think about the gateway as a way to enhance the pedestrian environment along the street. If the only the south median is used, a raised pedestrian crossing to the median, would better connect the school and park.
Specific Comments:
• The use of a water theme or metaphor is over-used in public art in the community.
• Night & Dark: the concept is good, but the execution is fragmented and meaning of the work would be lost in translation to most.
• Flow: Would need lights to be effective. Need more presence, not sufficiently monumental.
• Aqua Vitae: transparent but monumental. Light refraction through the colored acrylic shedding on to the street would extend the presence of the work. Type of river rock at the base would be important. Most thoughtful of the artists’ presentations. My choice, if I had to choose.
• Onward Planes: Like the concept and the artist’s ideas behind the piece (it wasn’t about water) but not the art.

Ken Mc Calls sculptures are breathtaking. I and my husband enjoy seeing them so much. Each one is a lasting beautiful piece of art.

I just LOVE Ken Mcalls! Gorgeous!

Out of all the proposals, I think Kenneth McCall has the best piece. Not only is it beautiful, but love the fact it will save water!

These are all pretty uninspiring.

I think that the best art design was the one presented by Ken McCall. His design was so unique and had a wonderful fluidity in the design.

I love Ken McCall’s Aqua Vitae. Not only is it a stunning work of art, but it is environmentally friendly, as it will save our precious resource of water and economically sound, in that it saves the city money in maintenance costs.

I really like the first proposal with the benches, it would be my first choice. However, I believe there could be concern with the art being actual benches – I think it likely that tourists and kids may be tempted to illegally cross to the median to sit on the benches.

Proposal 2, Aqua Vitae is by far my favorite! I love the reference to the Boise Canals as these weave and flow through all of Boise, connecting the city and people that live here. I work off of Vista and the canal runs right behind our office and is a lovely sight to view from the windows. The idea of saving water with the input of gravel is smart, especially as we highlight saving precious resources and enhancing this space with art. The shadows that this piece reflects is a beautiful representation of art as a living thing and an integral part of the Vista Neighborhood’s cultural place in the city of Boise. This proposal is the most substantial as a statement to the Vista area!

I do also like the hummingbirds/moths on benches proposal, but I don’t see people sitting between 4 lanes of traffic or really utilizing that space as a place to sit and ponder among busy traffic. If it were re-imagined without the bench, I think that would serve the space better.

Onward Plows seems a little too harsh for this space, and feels more dividing that encompassing.

Flow, though a nice design, in comparison to the Aqua Vitae just doesn’t seem as artful or up to scale as a statement piece for the Vista Neighborhood.

I apprecite the effort the artists put into researching and the thought they put into the projects. I am disappointed though in the outcome. When I envision a “gateway project” I see something that truly, undoubtably represents Bouise and Idaho. A “gateway project” on an arterial needs to be recognized for what it represents while 35-40 mph too. Of these projects I enjoyed “Day and Night” the most, FOR AN ART PIECE IN A PARK or similar setting where people can stop, gaze and enjoy the various aspects of the art. I feel #2 came the closet, even it too requires someone to interpret what the artist is trying to represent. There is nothing on this peice that causes a viewer to recgonize it as a represeantion of a stream, river or water. Project #3 is peaceful with a whimiscal feel. It felt it represented clouds more than strweam flows or water. #4 the plows is just a NO! Again, I appreacite the work that went into the projects, but I DO NOT LIKE ANY OF THEM for a gateway art piece.